Fall out
by Danielle Anderson
Summary: “You know,” he said to her, lips curling distastefully, lightly tapping his foot on the ground, “no one can tell how despicable you are from the cute and innocent act that you put up.” Raito/L genderswitch


Disclaimer: I do not own _Death Note_

Raito was looking forward to the weekend ever since Monday began. As far as he was concerned, Mondays could go to hell and back because they took him away from his home, his wife and his TV. He could live without the TV and the house was a mere necessity, but L was a must-have.

L, with her stupid antics, was entertaining enough to have around, and she kept Raito's days lively like a barrel of monkeys in a circus. Just the other evening, L was tossing and turning, fidgeting and fussing like an angry pregnant cat (well, she may have been a cat but she certainly wasn't pregnant yet - that was one of their issues and he was desperately trying to reach a compromise).

"What's wrong?" Raito had asked her, looking away from his journal.

Her black hair was falling over his eyes, shadows dark against her pale skin. "I don't feel very good," she confessed to him, voice deader than usual. "I think I might be coming down with something."

Raito considered this. L didn't really have a reason to come down with something because, in order to come down with something, she'd have to come out of the computer room. And that room was already warm enough from the heat of the machines - he didn't think it was the proper environment to catch a cold.

Tentatively, he reached out to press a palm against her forehead. It was cool, less clammy than usual. On the outside, L appeared to be in perfect health but she did seem very uncomfortable...

"You might be coming down with something," he agreed.

He suggested, out of the goodness of his heart, that she go to bed early...and give the machines a rest...because they needed that, too.

"You go sleep in the guest room," she said to him, voice muffled, as she climbed in beneath the covers. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay here."

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't want you to catch whatever I have."

Well, she had a point and there was no need to take risks. So Raito took her advice and went to sleep down the hall in the guest room -

- only to be woken up a few hours later to go the bathroom and then, seeing a dim light peeking from underneath L's door, calling him to discover the secret.

What he found made his frown melt into a jaw-drop.

L was sitting happily against the pillows, blankets weighed down from the weight of various candies, her hair more disheveled than usual (_sex hair!_) and her mouth dark with cocoa.

Raito stared at her for a long moment, trying to recover from the shock of her betrayal as he watched her swallow whatever was in her mouth when he'd arrived.

"You know," he said to her, lips curling distastefully, lightly tapping his foot on the ground, "no one can tell how despicable you are from the cute and innocent act that you put up."

L promptly ignored him and proceeded to look even more cute and innocent.

Raito rolled his eyes.

It wasn't that he minded her stuffing herself with chocolate but with her being skin and bones and him wanting to have a little Raito, glutting oneself with junk food was not a wise idea. L didn't give a damn, as usual, and he was starting to think that maybe this was her evil plan. To eat more and more chocolate, no matter how hard he tried to control her diet, so that she would remain underweight and they could never think about having a baby.

Today was a beautiful day. Raito was determined not to let L ruin it. He came down the stairs freshly showered and fixed himself a bowl of Ramen noodles (he could hear his mother's disapproval already) and a steaming mug of tea. L was in the study, staring at the laptop screen as though there was something very fascinating, and as far as Raito could see, she was just reading up on red velvet cake recipes and the best bakeries in Tokyo.

Well, that was something he preferred not to get his hands dirty with.

His scalp felt cool from the shower, body rested from a good night's sleep after a good hour of good sex and the sun was shining with a happy smile on its face, and he thought that if L was up to it later, he'd take her out for a walk.

Raito opened the door, mug in the other hand, to pick up the newspaper off the doormat. He saw kids bicycling up the street and sighed inwardly, wishing that he could have that in the near future when his wife stopped being so indifferent. On his right, one of the neighbors stepped out, a man in his early thirties, accountant in his second marriage, and balding head. He waved cheerfully at Raito as he picked up his milk and Raito nodded back at him with a polite smile.

Yes, it was a good morning.

He was about to close the door and enjoy his tea and paper when he saw a distant figure moving up the path, a little odd-shaped dot that was impossible to ignore. He narrowed his cinnamon eyes and peered at it. Yes, it was quite familiar. And getting bigger by the second.

It didn't take him long to realize that it was Near and he was unmistakenably heading this way.

Panic rose in Raito; his first instinct was to close the door, lock it, and throw the keys away, or tell Near that no, Mr. and Mrs. Yagami did not live here, that they had moved to Africa and they were not coming back.

Sadly, Near already knew where they lived and unfortunately, he was as smart as Raito and L, if not smarter.

But it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

He was about to slam the door shut when L came over to his side, as silent as a cat, her feet bare over the carpet.

"What's wrong?" she asked curiously, onyx eyes wide, one hand in her pocket, the other near her mouth, forefinger between her lips.

Raito's heart sank as she followed his gaze and noticed the Near-dot coming closer and closer, a missile about to destroy the peace of their house.

Near was clear in view now, in his loose-fitting shirt and loose jeans, white blond hair tousled, face more somber than usual. He was walking with his back hunched, a laudable imitation of L, because if you asked Raito, the real thing was always better than the copy.

And Near was the most annoying copy that had ever happened upon Raito.

"Oh," said L.

* * *

  
Now Raito had always thought himself to be a polite host, never turning a guest away. Granted that he wasn't too interested in other people but he was never known to misbehave, always wearing a genial smile, talking those even when he didn't want to.

But Near brought out the worst qualities in him, making him unsympathetic, grumpy, and narrow his eyes so much that it gave him a headache.

At the moment, Near sitting on the living room floor, playing with some toy trucks that L had kindly provided him (where the hell had she gotten those?) and looking very morose.

L looked on him as she stood at the door, perplexed like a mother.

"What do you think happened to him?" she asked Raito.

Raito tried to keep himself from snarling. "Don't know. Don't care."

She ignored him. He didn't like being ignored.

He was apprehensive about Near's visit this time because the last time that bonehead had come, he'd seduced Sayu. Raito was still appalled to find that his little sister did not have good taste in him. He'd have thought that she, being care for by an honorable father and brother, would be wiser in choosing a boyfriend, and not go for such a…well, he wouldn't call Near 'dim-witted'…all right, socially _incompetent_ boy who was younger than her.

Thank goodness Sayu wasn't here this time and he wouldn't have to watch them be lovey-dovey (lovey-dovey was cute and acceptable only when he and L were being so) and feel about to hurl his breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Snack. Whatever.

He watched disapprovingly as L went inside and crouched to Near's height, her wavy black hair falling over her eyes and making her look beautiful. Her profile had always taken his breath away and if that short bastard wasn't here right now, he'd have done something in turn to take _her_ breath away.

Her thin lips moved, murmuring something to Near. Raito's ears peaked like a dog's, brows furrowing. What was she saying to him?

Near listened to her speak, face gave, eyes downcast, his hair shadowing over. His hand had stilled over the toys, the rolling noises no longer irritating Raito. And then, the young boy hung his head and wailed.

"She betrayed our love!"

Raito's lips curled in an evil smirk.  


* * *

  
It was the best news Raito had heard in months, second only to when their doctor had told him that there was nothing wrong with his sperm, it was just that L needed to put out more often. Sayu had broken it off with Near and he felt proud that his baby sister had made a wise decision.

According to Near, Ratio learned, he had insulted him by calling him a mass-murder and then Sayu had fought bravely to defend the honor of her brother by splitting up with him. Well, it was good riddance, thought Raito and seeing Near so wretched gave him a spark of satisfaction that made him feel villainous. In a noble way.

He was going to call Sayu and congratulate her right away as soon as the premature social retard/genius left.

Which didn't seem to be happening anytime soon.

"Is he staying for lunch?" Raito demanded like a petulant child just as L came out of the living room, with Near still on the floor, morosely playing with the cars.

L blinked at him. "Why, are you cooking?" she asked mildly.

He made a face. "No," he almost spat out. "Unless you mean that I can poison him."

She regarded him coolly. "Poisoning someone is a very un-Kira-like thing to do, Raito-kun."

Wait, did that mean that she was telling him that Kira's methods were actually cool?

Somewhere in the back of his head, he could hear the theme of _The Twilight Zone_ playing.

L swished past him, her low-riding jeans dragging across the floor in a manner that was very expected from her. Raito followed her, clutching desperately at his coffee mug, like it had all the answers.

"How long will he be staying?" he demanded as they went into the kitchen.

"I don't know." She didn't seem interested and she perched in front of the kitchen counter, pouring herself a cup of tea. It still amazed him how she could handle everything just by using her thumb and forefinger. Of course, in bed, she used the whole of her slender hands to do things to knock the breath out of him, so he wasn't complaining.

"Well, I hope you don't plan to have him around for long," said Raito bossily. "I need my privacy."

"You're hardly home all day," she retorted dryly, taking a sip of her tea, eyeing him boredly.

He clenched his jaw. "That's not the point. I'm just not..." he tried to think of a genteel way to put it, "_comfortable_ with your...associates around."

She remained unperturbed. "I do not know how long Near intends to stay," she said to Raito. "But I would not mind him staying as long as he needs to."

_That should be easy,_ the younger man thought confidently. Near did not have feelings so he should be out by the afternoon. Or evening, at the latest.

But Near wasn't gone by lunchtime, he wasn't gone by tea time and he most certainly wasn't gone by dinnertime either. Raito regarded him hostilely while he played absently with Ryuuzaki the black cat, he hoped that the other boy did not have rabies.

But Near wasn't gone by lunchtime, he wasn't gone by tea time and he most certainly wasn't gone by dinnertime either. Raito regarded him hostilely while he played absently with Ryuuzaki the black cat, he hoped that the other boy did not have rabies.

L was worried. She kept chewing at her finger and staring at him, while carrying a a cup of highly sweetened tea in the other. He felt like they were the parents of an eccentric boy dying from cancer.

"Sayu broke up with him, didn't she?" it was a half-question, half-statement in quiet glee.

She didn't look at him. She stopped nibbling at her thumb to stir her tea delicately. "From what I gathered."

"What was the reason?" he asked, even though he already knew what the reason was. Sayu must have finally realized that she had no future with Near, and that she could do much better than him, anyway, being a pretty, smart girl, not to mention taller than him.

"They had a minor falling out," she said, walking up the stairs barefoot. He frowned - why was she being so vague? At other times, he wouldn't have cared, thinking that L was just being her usual self but this got him really curious, mostly because it involved his sister.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he climbed the steps in her pursuit.

L said nothing until they reached their bedroom. He stopped and folded his arms across his chest, regarding her critically.

Nonchalant, she stepped up on the bed, drew her knees to her chest and pensively stirred her tea.

One minute passed. Then two minutes passed. Everything was so quiet that Raito could actually hear the clock ticking.

"Well?" he snapped at her impatiently.

"Hmm?" she looked at him, features contrived to seem innocent. "Oh, yes. As I was saying. Near and Sayu had a falling out and now, they are no longer a couple."

"Yes, I already know that." He rolled his eyes. "I was asking why they had a fight."

"Oh," said L, dope-like, as if she was just realizing it. "Right." She stirred her tea again and took a sip, her expression becoming more pleasant upon finding that the sweetness was just right.

Raito tapped his foot. What was taking her so long? Why was she so reluctant to tell him the whole story?

"Near insulted you," L looked up at him, big black eyes waiting to see his reaction.

His jaw dropped to the floor in surprise. "Wh-what did he say?" he demanded to say, sputtering.

She seemed to be at odds with herself over the specifics. Her pause showed her mulling over the age-old dilemma of to-tell-or-not-to-tell and Raito struggled to keep his calm. Whatever that dwarfish kid had called him couldn't be that bad...

"He called you a witless walrus," said L in a low, reluctant tone, afraid of the following drama...

Cinnamon eyes flared in rage. "What?"  


* * *

  
The raven-haired detective sighed, resigned and glanced down at her tea. "You see, Raito-kun," she said, "this why I never want to tell you anything - you overreact."

"Would you like it if someone called you that?" demanded Raito, seething, hands tightened, body trembling.

"You really should learn to control your temper, Raito-kun," L mock-advised, mostly probably to distract him. "It's an unattractive quality in a partner."

"Hey, don't change the subject!" he protested, glancing back at the door and wondering if he should go and give that Near a piece of his mind. No, that was way too impolite and he'd had a better upbringing.

(Which Near had not.)

(Therefore, Raito would be the bigger man and show Near what a good upbringing could do.)

"I never bother with what other people think of me," L answered his previous question. "Raito-kun should know that by now. And he has nothing to be annoyed with as her sister has already defended his honor."

"Well, you got that right," he said smugly, resentfully. "Sayu's much better off than with that freak of nature."

L was not amused with what he had said. She put aside her tea and then reached for one of the fruit candies on the bedside table. Raito had been searching for a way to get rid of those in a manner that wouldn't let them keep coming back.

"Regardless of what Raito-kun says, Near is extremely devastated at the loss of his love," she sounded icy now, "and I've already mentioned that he can stay here as long as he likes. His slight to you will not change that." There was a challenge in the way she phrased it, and he looked long and hard at her, two predators defining their territory.

"It's my house," he said possessively.

"It's _our_ house," she rejoined.

They stared each other down like two soldiers on a battlefield.

"I'll be in my room," said Raito, making his way out.

"Good idea."  


* * *

  
The next couple of days went on…_interestingly_.

Near stayed mostly to himself (thankfully) and L said nothing much to Raito about their new houseguest and Raito tried to be more attentive to Ryuuzaki the growing kitten and some case files at work.

While browsing for sites on pregnancy and maternity in his free time.

The white blond genius would keep to himself in the den, where L had made him a makeshift bed, Raito was left wondering when she had become so hospitable that she was actually doing creative _housework_ to make guests feel more welcome. But then again, he knew that she knew Near from Wammy's House and though he did not know much about that establishment, he'd gathered that the orphans who grew up there were very loyal to one another. At least, when they weren't being paranoid and trying to stab someone in the back.

Raito wondered if Near cried now that he was no longer with Sayu. The short kid never seemed to have any feelings and he was more blank-faced than L. It was kinda creepy. What was even creepier was L, watching over him like a strict but tender mother. He was surprised to come home one afternoon and find L making a big mug of delicious-smelling chocolate (she rarely went near the stove). And guess what, it was for Near.

"Is that for you?" he asked.

"No," she said, "it's for Near."

So the short kid did enjoy sweet delicacies after all. At least he wasn't glued to a chocolate bar like her.

The biggest thing that Raito found himself worried about was how Near's stay would affect his sex life with L. Granted Near wasn't an obtrusive visitor but he didn't want his wife being distracted by the presence of her protegé and how he was coping with the loss of his girlfriend. Especially, when they were trying to hard to have a baby.

One night, he and L were in bed together. He was kissing her and she was trying to push him away.

"Raito," she said, gently trying to push him away, her slender hands at his chest. "_Raito_!"

"Hmm, what?" he asked, drawing back to look her in the eye, wondering what was on her mind.

"We have to talk."

"We can talk later," he pressed his mouth against her pale throat. "This is more important."

She said nothing for the next few minutes, her hands grasping his shoulders, kneading. For an instant, Raito thought he'd won her over. That is, until she started to push at him again.

"Ah," he frowned in annoyance. "What is it?"

"I said we have to talk, Raito-kun," she answered.

"Later, L," he bent down again. "The doctor said we should do this more often." And whatever she had to say could wait.

"_Raito_." L held him back firmly and he sighed, trying to calm the rush of blood heading south. Why did she have to make things so complicated?

"Okay," he conceded. "What is it?"

"I think you should try to talk to Near," she said. "Find out what's wrong."

He stared down at her like she had grown two heads. "_What_?" he cried in disbelief.

"Well, he won't talk to me," she pointed out, looking very innocent.

"I thought we were already clear on why he's acting the way he is," he nearly growled. "Sayu dumped him because he insulted me."

"Well, we're not sure how she could do it so easily," she reasoned, raising herself on her elbows so that they were eye to eye. "They were pretty…_tight_…"

"Please don't use that word."

"Sorry. They were quite close. So something really terrible must have happened."

"So why don't _you_ ask him?" he inquired distastefully.

"He won't talk to me, remember?" she sounded impatient. "Look, will you have a word with him or not?"

"No."

She (pretended to) look(ed) surprised at that. "Why not?"

"Because you know that I don't really care about him," he said calmly. "I couldn't be happier and Sayu and he are no longer together. Now, if you would just please…" he lowered down, trying to ease her back but she held her ground stubbornly.

"I'm not having sex with you," she said to his face.

He gaped at her like a fish. It was starting to embarrass him. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not having sex with you," L repeated.

He rolled his eyes and stared at her. "What am I supposed to do then?"

"You either try talking to him or I'm not sleeping with you."

"That's outrageous!" protested Raito.

But it didn't matter how much he objected because pretty soon, he found himself trying to go to sleep on a couch with Near playing with his toy cars, the low whirring noise of the little wheels keeping him awake.  


* * *

  
He was grouchy in the morning; the sofa had hurt him all night. L, with all her money, had neglected to buy nice, spacious, comfortable sofas when you could sprawl out and realx. No wonder they never fooled around in the living room.

To Raito's surprise, L was up before him and she had showered and he could smell all the way from the kitchen door the scent of rose hips and chamomile coming from her hair.

And she was making tea.

"Good morning," she threw him a brief glance, looking pissed.

Raito returned the look. "Yeah," he said curtly. He went back to the kitchen after he'd washed up and found that she was pouring tea in three cups. One she mounted with huge sugar cubes, and the other two were black.

Hmm, so Near liked his coffee black.

Raito wasn't sure if he should be disturbed by the fact that he now had much-sought information on Near dietry habits.

"Are you off to work?" she asked calmly, this time pretending as if nothing had happened, as though she hadn't throw him out of their bed last night.

"I will be, in a bit," he said. Two could play this game. He took his coffee and stood near the window and glared at all the other husband who left for work after kissing their wives goodbye at the doorstep. Obviously, they were having a better time than he was.

"Could you take this to Near?" she posed him an unexpected question, holding out one cup, looking at him expectantly.

He stared at her as though she'd lost her marbles (he wasn't sure if she'd ever played with marbles). He wanted to make a biting return at her, saying that he wasn't her servant and he sure wasn't going to play maid to their annoying houseguest, but the look on her face said that she was not to be messed with.

Grudgingly, he took the tea cup and went to do as he was told.

Near was crouching on the living room floor, hand pressed on one kneecap and chin resting atop it; his other hand was disinterestedly rolling a toy truck on the carpet. The wheels weren't rolling well because of the obstruction that the carpet provided, but from the faraway look in his eyes, he clearly didn't really care about his toys anymore.

Wordlessly, Raito handed him the tea cup and he took it without saying a word of thanks. The older man tried not to be annoyed by this. So what did he care if Near was in his house, eating his food and impedimenting sexual relations with his wife? It was just a normal, acceptable thing to do.

Ever since Near had begun staying here, he and Raito had barely exchanged a word. Raito thought that Near might throw an insult or two at him; but it hadn't occurred to him that Near might be too depressed to do even that.

Well, no time for that now. He had to show up at work in fifteen minutes.  


* * *

  
When Raito came back from work in the evening, tired from the extra hours, he saw a low light coming from the den, hearing voices speak softly. With a frown, he decided to go check it out.

He saw L perched on a chair, looking down in concern at Near, who was, as usual, seated on the floor, seeming very unhappy. They looked like teacher and disciple, L about to impart some ancient wisdom on how to get your girlfriend back, and Near ready to receive this wisdom and use it for the good of humanity,

Raito wanted to run out of the house, screaming.  


* * *

  
He decided to give Sayu a call the following afternoon from the balcony, hoping that no one could hear him. He knew from before that L had a propensity to show up in places where she wasn't wanted and the last thing he wanted was his wife listening in on his conversation with his sister.

Sayu picked up after the second ring. "Hello, onii-chan, what's up?" She sounded cheerful enough, like nothing was bothering her and for a moment, he was more than tempted to think that she didn't care what Near was up to and she was better off without him.

Sheer curiosity made him go on. "Nothing much," he said, leaning against the railing, "how's it going with you?"

"Oh, not too bad." He could hear the scratch of her pen from the other end of the line. "I just have about three-fifty scripts to grade."

"Ouch," he laughed a bit. "That sounds like a lot of work. How did the kids do?"

"Hmm, I expected them to do better, but I'm not too surprised. What's up? Is there any reason you called?" She was getting directly to the point; Sayu had never been very good at running – or making other people – run around in circles. For the umpteenth time, he wondered what she'd seen in Near to make her go out with him.

And then, he also decided to get to the point. "Near's here," he said.

There was a pause on the other end. "Is that so?" said Sayu. "What's he doing there?"

Raito sighed. "He seems to be very upset. We don't talk much." Duh.

"Oh, is he?" she must've raised an eyebrow. "Can't do much about that."

It was then that Raito decided he should hear things from Sayu's perspective. "What exactly happened between you two?" he wondered aloud, hoping that he would not regret this.

"We just had a fight and I thought it'd be best if we moved on," she explained to him. "As a matter of fact, I've decided to go out on a date with Matsuda."

Raito nearly fell over the railing when he heard that. "What?" he exclaimed, gripping the iron rod to balance himself. "Matsuda? Really?"

"Yes," she replied calmly. "He's a nice guy and he has a steady job and he's always looking after our dad. Plus, he's had a crush on me for a really long time."

"Thirty-year-old guys don't have _crushes_, Sayu," he pointed out through clenched teeth. "Their feelings tend to be a little more serious than that."

"I know, onii-chan," she sounded exasperated. "So what's up between you and L? Any good news? Am I going to be an aunt soon?"

_If things were only that easy._ "That appears to be a problem," he answered carefully, "you see, she's angry with me for...some reason." He preferred to save his dignity by not disclosing the reason.

"Oh?" Sayu was concerned. "Well, I hope it works out. I don't see why she should be mad at you – you guys always get along so well."

Right. "Are mom and dad well?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Sure. Mom made rice pudding today. She told she might send some over to you guys later."

"That'd be very kind of her."

And that was that. Sayu hung up, saying that she needed to go back to checking her scripts. Raito was left all alone to his musings, wondering what would happen next. He wasn't sure where L was – she was quite possibly in the kitchen, whipping up some sort of meal for Near, and then helping herself amply to more sugar.

To his surprise, when he turned around, about to go inside, he saw her at the balcony door, staring at him with wide eyes.

He nearly jumped out of his skin. She was quiet.

"What did Sayu say?" she demanded immediately, resting her hand on the doorway.

He blinked at her. "I wasn't talking to Sayu," he lied. What a stupid thing to do because nobody could lie to L.

"Of course you were," said L. "What did she tell you?"

"She didn't saying anything about Near."

"Oh, really?" she sounded like she didn't believe him.

"Well..." he stalled her, desperately wishing that there was a good story that he could come up with. He didn't feel very comfortable discussing his sister's love life with his wife, even if her love life did concern his wife's protégé. "Sayu just said that she thinks they should move on."

L stared at him. Maybe glare would have been a better word and right then, he hated Near more than ever.

"You're just making that up," she accused him.

"Absolutely not!" he protested, taken aback and infuriated by her accusations. "You can talk to Sayu if you want! And why are you so eager to get her back with Near? He can always find someone else."  


* * *

  
But finding someone else wasn't as easy for Near as it was for Sayu and that was mostly because he never got out of the house. He appeared to content himself with sitting on the floor and playing with his toys (Raito had never seen even a real kid with so many toy cars and trains) and sometimes, L would keep him company in a motherly fashion.

(So why wasn't she having a baby already?)

This pissed Raito off considerably. At work, when he didn't have anything to do, he would pass his time by daydreaming of his future children, and L doing housework, taking care of them like a mother is supposed to, while he slaved away at work, weariness slipping away upon seeing his little ones.

Well, that dream wasn't going to come true anytime soon if they kept sleeping apart. Raito was starting to have bloodshot eyes because he was kept awake by Near's stupid wheels and the boy would ignore him every time he told him to stop.

One afternoon, Raito was watching TV after coming back from work. It was a stupid gaming show and he wasn't even paying attention; all he was doing was letting his eyes rest on the screen as the colorful flurry of images rushed past him, his mind somewhere else.

And then something – or rather, some_one_ – blocked his vision. He leaned on one side to get better view of whatever he _wasn't_ watching.

"What do you want?" he asked grumpily.

L stared down at him with those soulless black eyes. "I want to talk to you, Raito-kun," she said, and he could imagine her putting her hands on her hips like a 1950s housewife.

"Well, I'm busy now," he replied, and increased the volume of the TV.

To his surprise, she took the remote control and turned of the television. "It's important," she insisted. "I'd like to speak to you upstairs."

Hmm, upstairs she said. Did she think that she could lure him into the bedroom with the promise of sex, and never deliver, only bugging him for information on Sayu? No, he was smarter than that; he would not give into her.

"I'm watching TV," he retorted like a child, turning it back on. The winners was about to be announced on the show and he feigned interest in whatever the results were going to be.

L, on the other hand, was very adamant that he pay attention to _her_, and not some girl in a skimpy outfit. She turned it off again. "We could reach some sort of agreement after we talk," she suggested craftily – well, as crafty-sounding as she could be with that droning voice of hers.

Raito rolled his eyes. (But he had to admit that coming to an agreement did seem quite alluring.) "All right," he said, "but it has to be on my terms."

"Done," said L, and they shook hands like two smugglers closing a deal. "Let's go upstairs."

When the bedroom door was shut and they had their privacy, he turned to her. "Okay. What did you want to talk about?"

"I want you to help me get back Sayu and Near together," said L and to Raito's ears, it sounded very silly that his wife was trying to play matchmaker.

"Don't you have anything better to do, Ryuuzaki?" he asked, despite himself.

"Raito," the panda-eyed woman said warningly. "I'm not joking. Don't you see it? Near's been miserable since she broke up with him. He doesn't smile or talk like he used."

"Really?" he was confused. "I thought he was always like that."

"_Raito_."

"Okay, fine. But to be honest, I don't think Sayu is too bothered by the breakup. She sounded happy enough to me and she told me that she'd be going out on a date with Matsuda."

L gaped at him for an instant and then frowned. "Matsuda, eh?" she sounded surprised. "I'm a little astonished by her choice."

"Well, if that makes her happy. But since I said I would, I'll help you." He paused for dramatic effect. "Now, about the terms that we were talking about..."

"Yes, name them," said L, sounding a bit more placated now that he'd agreed to play her assistant in matchmaking.

"I want to have a baby," he said quickly, and then paused again at how ridiculous his words were. "I want _you_ to have a baby – I mean, I want _us_ to have a baby." Ah, much better.

L stared at him for a long time and he held his breath, waiting for her answer, to see if she would agree to this or not.

"All right," she said finally. "That's fine."

Joy started to wake in his heart.  


* * *

  
It occurred to Raito, shortly after, that while he and L had gone through an interesting cold war because of Near, he himself had hardly said anything to the boy. He hadn't asked the other genius what his thoughts were on Sayu and if he had learned any lesson about not insulting your girlfriend's older brother. He probably hadn't.

Because right now, he was snubbing Raito in the most irritating fashion but not answering, or answering very curtly, whenever Raito asked him a question and the other man was trying very hard to be patient.

"Are you looking forward to seeing her?" asked Raito one evening and he and L were in the front seats of their car and Near was in the backseat, like a kid. Why couldn't his sister be interested in someone who was her age?

(Well, okay, she was on a date with Matsuda at this very moment and he was ten years older than her but Raito found that he could stomach that more. It was a little hypocritical when one took into account that L was seven years older than him.)

"A little," said Near mysteriously, twirling a strand of silvery hair around his finger to show that he was thinking about something.

_What a girly gesture,_ thought Raito.

L leaned over and mumbled in his ear, "Try to be a bit more supportive."

"I can't," he retorted stubbornly. "I keep getting the feeling that I'm making the biggest mistake of my life."

She didn't buy that; she just rolled her eyes and leaned forward (he told her not to do that, it wasn't safe), and then pouted and leaned backward. Okay, much better.

"We're here," he pulled into the drive way of an expensive-looking restaurant (how on earth was Matsuda able to afford this? Raito was in a higher position than him, and even he could not afford to take L to dine at such a classy restaurant.

L's affordability, though, was an entirely different matter.)

Near, for the first time that evening, actually for the first time since Raito had known him, straightened up in his seat and looked more alert, his eyes scrutinizing the vicinity as though Sayu were a criminal lurking amidst the rows of automobiles.

"There they are," L spotted them first – Matsuda and Sayu sitting the near the huge glass window, having soup. Sayu had tied her hair back in a ponytail and worn a simple blue dress. To Raito, this signified that she was probably too lazy to dress up, but perhaps L would think that Sayu was in mourning and she wouldn't want to make herself look good for another man.

With a heavy heart and a lot of reluctance, Raito parked the car. He was about to open his mouth to give Near some instructions, but as expected, the boy did not wait to hear them. He seemed to have become more active at the sight of his beloved, and he just got out of the car and hurried to the window of the restaurant, leaving Raito gaping at him.

"Well," said L, "that was interesting."

What was even more interesting was that almost as soon as Near had stepped up to the window, pressing his hands to the glass and staring at Sayu in a most pathetic way, she noticed him.

Like...their minds were connected or something.

"Wow, would you look at at that," breathed L, her own face pressed against the glass of the car window.

"I'm not sure if I want to." But Raito couldn't take his eyes off of the unravelling scene before him. Sayu had excused herself to a poor, confused Matsuda, coming out of the restaurant to see what Near wanted. Her lips were pressed in a thin hard line and she put her hands on her waist as she confronted the blond, asking him why he was here.

They spoke for a long time. Raito didn't pay attention to the details of what was happening but L had her large eyes glued to the scene, as though she were watching some interesting drama on television.

"Ah, at least Sayu's willing to listen to Near's perspective," she remarked a few minutes later.

He looked at her sharply. "Are you reading their lips?" he inquired.

"No," she replied, "I can't see Near from where I'm sitting so I'm only reading Sayu's lips."

"I'd much rather you didn't," he said. "It's a very undesirable invasion of privacy."

"They're standing outside to have this conversation. There's nothing private about that."

Darn it, why did she have to be so stubborn?

Needless to say, he was relieved (well, it would more accurate to say that he had mixed feelings) when he saw that Near and Sayu had openly patched up – L's eyes had gone wide with happiness, and he felt a little bad when Matsuda's face feel. Raito wasn't usually a very sympathetic person (at least to Matsuda) but he did feel sorry because he knew that the older detective really did have a thing for Sayu.

Maybe he'd set the guy up with one of his cousins outside Tokyo. That'd do the trick.

"Well, that makes me feel very content," said L when they were driving back, her beetle black eyes shining like she was on LSD. Near and Sayu had left separately, the two lovebirds obviously wanting some time alone so that they could work things out. Raito would do very well not to think about it.

"Yes, I'm sure," he replied grumpily, keeping his eyes on the road ahead, his hands on the steering wheel. From the corner of his eye, he noticed her giving him this really weird look. "What?"

"I think Raito-kun has earned himself a reward," she rested a slender hand on his knee, caressing it in a most lascivious manner.

His breath caught his throat and he nearly halted the car but sheer force of will made him keep on driving. He couldn't let his mind get muddled now, not when he was behind the wheel, even if her hard was touching him in a very pleasing way...

"What do you say that we go to a love hotel?" she suggested softly, smiling at him, surprising him.

He took a moment to answer, calculating all the risks (mainly financial) of visiting such as establishment. He knew that she'd long since wanted to go to a love hotel but his pride, that he couldn't pay for it, got to him and he'd always refused.

But if L was serious about wanting to have a baby...what could be more romantic than conceiving in a love hotel?

However, the cost...

"It'll be my treat," she offered kindly as if she'd read his mind.

That settled it. Raito, in his inability to wait no longer (because after all, a few days without sex was more than any man could take), quickly parked the car in a dark spot on the side of the street, taking his turn to surprise L. She started in astonishment, opening her mouth to ask what the matter was when his lips claimed hers in a swift, passionate kiss, because some time in the last five minutes, Raito had decided that doing it in their car was equally romantic and they could carry this on later at the love hotel.

But unfortunately, they never got to the love hotel because a cop on the motor cycle stopped by, made curious by the foggy windows, and had the both of them arrested for private acts in a public place. Raito tried to argue that their car on a dark side of the street was not _that_ public but he decided it was futile, especially when he saw his father at the bail hearing, looking very shocked.

AN: Um, this was posted in a bit of a hurry, so I'd appreciate it if the typos are pointed out :). Thanks for reading!


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